Dementalia
by Stella-Di-Yuki
Summary: Haunting Ground retold. Lost in an eerie castle, separated from his brother and dear friend, Italy Veneziano must uncover the secret that brought him to the mysterious "Belli Castle" ...before the psychotic residences within get to him first. What is "Azoth"? And what does it have to do with him? Rated M for suggestive themes and language. Mentions of Mpreg.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! I thought I'd contribute to the Haunting Ground and Hetalia Crossover category-by being the only person in it. Makes me a bit nervous due to two facts: 1) My story is the only one in here, and 2) Not many people will know there is even such a category in existence. But I won't let that discourage me!  
**

**Now, just to mention a few things:**

**- This story will stick to the actual events in "Haunting Ground"/"Demento". The stalkers will be the same, the puzzles are the same, and all of the comments and dialogue said by the enemies will be the same. I've changed the original plot, if only slightly, to make the story fit more for the characters used.**

**- I know Italy and Germany aren't like Fiona and Hewie- both being full grown men- so I'll be changing their roles every now and then to accommodate the massive difference. Italy will not always play Fiona's role, and Germany will not always play Hewie's.**

**- You could most definitely use this as a sort of game guide or walkthrough. The only thing is, I'm not going to include every detail about the game, such as various items and the secret keyplates.**

**- I will be using both nation and human names for Italy Veneziano/Feliciano, Italy Romano/Lovino, and Germany/Ludwig. It just gets old writing "he", "the german/italian", "the auburn haired/Dark haired/blond nation" so many times, you know? I need some more variety so you guys don't fall asleep!**

**I don't owe any of the characters, the only thing I own is the writing! Also, I've had help with some references from my two sisters who played the game over and over again for me as I wrote each chapter. Thank you girls!**

**That's it~ I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

_"...op...!"_

_"... ah... hah... ero!"_

_"... Si...ce!"_

Everything was fuzzy, mind still groggy and sleep induced.

_"Wa... p!"_

_'Who's that?'_

_"I...ly!"_

_'Are they calling me?'_

_"Ita..y! .._ke up!"

A harsh bang resounded merely centimeters away, causing the Italian to leap three feet into the air with a loud yelp. Coffee colored eyes darted wildly around the room, panic building up inside his chest from the sudden sound that pulled him from his sleep. His light auburn hair was a mess upon his head, hairs sticking out messily, looking like he just crawled out of bed. Feeling a presence to his immediate left, he snapped his head towards said direction, eyes wide and still running on pure panic and adrenaline.

Hair gold as corn and eyes like blue ice, came into view, instantly causing the Italian to stumble back in his chair and fall onto the floor, ""G-Germany! Don't be angry!"

The German sighed, his face, which was glaring at the other only seconds ago, relaxed as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Gott, Italy," he grunted,"You fell asleep during the meeting again? Even through all that commotion?"

Italy blinked a bit before his eyes closed into their usual display. He tilted his head in confusion, craning his neck to view the now empty meeting room. He frowned slightly, realizing that he had, indeed, slept through the entire thing.

Another world meeting has come and passed, and as usual, no one truly got anything done. That much was obvious from the look on Germany's face. The man appeared as if he had been shouting for the past few hours, if the faint vein mark on his forehead and his slightly reddened face were anything to go by. He watched as the taller male rubbed his face in frustration, the color finally draining and returning to it's normal pallid color. Making eye contact, his face was full of worry, and Italy somewhat felt as if he were being studied. After a moment of silence, Germany finally spoke.

"You've been sleeping a lot lately," he stated, voice slightly that of a mumble.

"What?"

The blond sighed again, breaking eye contact and straightening up, "Sleeping. You've been sleeping a lot lately. More than normally."

Italy pursed his lips in thought, but he really didn't think anything of it. Sure, so he was starting to get lazier than usual. It wasn't that much of a loss, so he waved his hand dismissively, shrugging a bit with a carefree smile. "Sleeping isn't so bad, Ludwig," he cooed while using the man's human name, now lifting himself up from the floor and dusting off his light tan suit, "I wasn't even asleep that lo-"

"The moment you took your seat, you yawned. Exactly one minute and seventeen seconds later, you dosed off." Blue eyes softened in more worry, "You were asleep for the entire meeting, Feliciano." Ludwig returned the small friendly gesture of using human names, "You and Romano even slept for the entire ride over here."

This caught the northern nation off guard, freezing his actions as his smile dropped. He was asleep for that long? Perhaps that wasn't as normal as he thought. Actually, he had been starting to feel rather tired lately, more than usual. Now that he really thought about it seriously, he was tired almost all the time. It was as if his body was demanding more energy for the simplest of tasks.

"Maybe I should talk to my boss..." the auburn haired man muttered, twiddling his fingers in nervousness. Maybe he was getting sick? Was it his economy?

Germany simply nodded, the tiniest hints of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "Perhaps that is best. Maybe it has something to do with your country? In any case, he will most likely be able to provide an answer."

Feliciano smiled brightly now, "You're so smart, Ludwig!" He gave a quick stretch, feeling his muscles adjust along with a few pops from his bones, and grabbed his briefcase from beside his seat. "Andiamo! I wanna get home as soon as possible! Oh! You'll come too, right Ludwig? You pinkie promised you'd sleep over!"

Ludwig shook his head with a chuckle, watching the Italian revert back to his normal bubbly and energetic self. "Ja, of course. I wouldn't break a promise." He paused, scratching the back of his head a bit, "Und I don't think Romano likes to be kept waiting."

"A _pinkie _promise!" Italy corrected once again, ignoring the statement about his hotheaded brother, hooking his lean arm around the muscular one of his German friend's, and all but dragging him down the stairs and out the front door.

Outside, they spotted the dark haired nation with a curl popping up on the right side of his head, hazel eyes glaring at Ludwig before grunting and turning away, "Damn potato eater better stay the hell away from me inside the car."

"Lovino~" once again, Feliciano used the more personal title of a human name, "Be nice! He'll sit next to me, Va bene?"

Romano simply scoffed, "Shut up and get in the limo, Veneziano." He then opened the metal door, muttering to himself and entering the vehicle without another word, signaling it was time for them to leave.

* * *

The sun was still high in the sky when they exited the building and entered the limousine, their destination being Venice, Italy. The drive from Berlin would be a long one, and they would most likely arrive after the sun had long set, but they were used to such travels and didn't mind. Usually, Ludwig would be entertaining Feliciano with mindless car games, maybe a game of cards, even letting the Italian borrow his phone so that the other may stream videos online and stay entertained the entire car ride. It was always his job, since his brother didn't have the patience for such things. It was always awkward enough having to share a limo with the southern nation, since he practically hated his guts.

But no such things happened.

The Italian was once again looking groggy, head lolling off to the side until finally resting against the larger male's grey suited shoulder, where he began to snore lightly and slip into a deep sleep. Even the elder Italian, whom was usually a spitfire being so close to the German, was sleeping with his head against the window. At the start of their journey, he had been complaining about not having his own ride to Rome, but not even five minutes after that statement, he began to fall asleep. Ludwig frowned as more worry seeped into his being. He only hoped these actions weren't caused by anything too serious.

The ride felt longer than usual due to having spent it watching over the slumbering nations, thoughts racing as he tried to come up with a conclusion to the strange behavior his friend and brother were displaying. Economy, Government, Population, Terrain-all of these crossed his mind, but nothing leaped out at him as the culprit. Perhaps it was a mixture of things? He shook the thoughts aside, taking a glance out the window and seeing they had arrived at the Italian border. Gently, he shook the smaller man awake, glad he didn't have to be any rougher for he felt the elder male stir.

"Italy," he whispered, earning a few blinks from said nation as he adjusted to waking, "We're almost there."

"Mm," the other sounded, face looking slightly disappointed as he brought it up to look at the German, "I fell asleep again... didn't I?" He averted his eyes, the single wayward curl that always protruded the left side of his head now drooping in shame, "Mi dispiace..."

Germany couldn't help but feel bad for the man, "Nein, it's al-"

A sharp jolt of the vehicle sent the three nations flying onto the limo floor, a yelp of surprise and pain escaping Italy and Romano, along with a grunt from Germany. Another harsh bang against the limousine's side caused them to cry out once again before the vehicle came to a crashing halt, the sound of metal caving and bending and glass shattering everywhere. The trio slammed against the opposite side of seats, each hitting their heads hard on the now awkwardly bent frame. Finally, they fell to the floor where silence greeted their ears.

The blond nation was quickly overcome by darkness, but not before spotting the shadow of a figure hovering over the broken window of the limo, Romano's body bent at an impossibly awkward angle, and seeing Italy merely inches away blinking in and out of consciousness. They made eye contact briefly, until the smaller man finally gave in and allowed the darkness to take him away.

_'At least the driver is alive... he could... call Italy's boss...'_

And that was his final thought before it all turned black.


	2. Chapter 1: Where am I?

**The first couple of chapters will be more detail than anything, hardly any dialogue due to there only being one character. I hope it's not too boring, though I did try to mix it up and use Fiona's original comments in the game and use them for some speech here and there, as well as some thought processes.**

**Previews for any stories I'm working on can be found on my profile.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_There was a horrible sound, and pain quickly followed after. He was hardly awake seconds ago, and now he was being thrown against the limousine like some sort of rag doll. His head hit something, and he hit it _hard. _His body flung off to the side, a gasp escaping his lips, the floor was only an inch away from his face-_

Italy awoke with a loud scream, eyes wide and full of panic as his chest heaved violently. He was having a panic attack, and it wasn't all that difficult to tell why.

He was currently inside a large black iron cage, completely nude, with only a thin silk blanket covering his frame. The air was cold against his skin, goosebumps littering his entire being along with a bad case of the creeps. He gagged, the air was thick with something foul and rotten, flies swarming... whatever that was upon the wooden table that sat at the center of the butchery-like room. It made his stomach churn, even more so, when he caught sight of the various blood stains that painted the stone floor. That was when he began to hyperventilate.

"W-where am I?" his voice quivered, hands gripping the surprisingly clean silk that covered him, trying to find some form of comfort from the material. His eyes watered, sniffling slightly as sobs began to rise in his throat. Where were his clothes? Who took him to this disgusting place?

The northern nation stared miserably at the front of the cage, a single tear escaping his eyes as it trailed down his flushed cheeks. How was he going to get out? The cage was solid, he felt no need to waste the little energy he had in an attempt to break through, and he wasn't small enough to squeeze through the bars either. Things were looking rather hopeless.

That's when he saw it.

The lock, it was loose around the cage bars, simply hanging there without keeping the massive trap shut. Hope began to ignite within the nation, and so crawling forward, he reached a trembling hand forth and grasped the heavy padlock, tugging it loose and tossing it away. Pushing the door open with a rusty _creak_, he slowly crept out of the musty cage, wincing slightly from minor back pains before straightening up and observing the room from his full stance. It was still rather frightening and just as disgusting from his prior position, though a glimmer of something sitting on the table caught his interest.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the nation approached the object, nose wrinkling from the close approaximity to the butchered meat about only a foot away. Recognition was quick to hit him, hand shooting out to grasp the metal chained pendant that was polished to a shine.

The Germanic Cross.

A bit of loose fur from the butchered animal dusted over the pendant, but other than that, the necklace was in the same condition that it's owner kept it, even after all the years it has been through.

"This... this is Germany's," he breathed, eyes widening once again and darting around the room in hopes to spot the blond man.

No such sight met him though, only more messily chopped meats that hung from hooks and rotting rats that hadn't been clever enough to escape the traps that were scattered around the dark room. Stairs were located behind the cage he was confined in, and from their direction came a faint light from the dying sun. Clutching the necklace tightly as though it were a lifeline, Italy hesitantly walked towards the light, hoping his friend would be on the outside and in a brighter place than he himself had woken in.

The silk swayed elegantly against his body, sending shivers down his spine from how cold the material was. He took it one step at a time, bare feet echoing slightly in the small confined stone staircase. His heart hammered against his chest, not knowing what lied beyond the dark room that was left behind.

_'Anything is better than that room,' _he thought to himself, quickening his pace with that thought alone.

The dying sun was just barely visible beyond the massive stone walls, to the right being a large building- a castle of sorts. Dying shrubbery within old clay pots littered the area, weeds growing between the cracked cobblestone pathway that stopped abruptly a mere five feet away from the staircase opening. The path continued on in dirt. To the left of it was an old large tree, and to the right, a large fountain near another staircase that led up to the massive castle.

_'Where am I?' _he now thought to himself, _'I... was in the limo... with Germany and Romano... and I...' _he shook his head, hair and curl swaying slightly at the motion, _'It's no good. Everything seems so fuzzy.'_

He was startled out of his thoughts as he proceeded down the path, a black crow suddenly fleeing from it's perch atop a rotting branch that extended over the path.

Italy clutched the sheets and necklace tighter from the fright, willing his legs to climb the next set of staircases quickly and stopping before the fancy door that kept him outside. Using one hand to keep the sheets around him, along with keeping the necklace safe, he grasped the door's handle in hopes it was unlocked. He let out a breath he didn't realize he held, happy to feel the handle give way to his wishes, the door swinging open to reveal the beautiful room from within.

Classy antique white wallpaper decorated the room along with a simple ceiling fan, a few paintings, and a beautifully polished marble floor. The furniture was rather antique looking as well, the wood being dark yet it was kept in perfect condition, the cushions splashed with floral patterns looked as if they were brand new. An old tv, perhaps one of the first to be invented, sat neatly on display in front of the small gathering of sofas at the very entrance, giving the little sitting area a more casual feel. The bedroom, separated by only three stair steps and a classy wooden railway, was just as tasteful yet simple. The queen sized bed looked as though it had been made to impress, it's white sheets fluffed and displayed elegantly. A large wardrobe sat in the corner of the room, and in the opposite corner was a lit fireplace, a grandfather clock standing beside it.

It was all very beautiful, to say the least. Italy couldn't keep his eyes from wandering, be it to the alluring embers of the fireplace, the wonderfully clean condition the full wall window just across the wardrobe was in, or to the impressive large painting of a curious looking elder man that hung between the clock and fireplace. Everything was impressive, and for just that moment, Feliciano's mind was distracted from the horrors he saw just moments prior. Downcast eyes met with marble, frowning once more as he forced himself to return to the task at hand. He needed to find Germany and his brother. Whoever these people were, they must have something to do with his capture. They must know where the other two men were.

Viewing the door that was between the fireplace and the bed, he stood before it in two large strides, hand outstretched as he grabbed the handle firmly.

His body froze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on ends at the feeling of another's presence. But he was alone before, wasn't he? Yes, there was no one else within the room.

So how is it that now...?

He turned quickly, facing the direction of the bed to be met with the sight of a woman standing completely still beside it. Italy's face scrunched in confusion, and his heart quickened in pace, if only by a little. Though the pale woman was rather beautiful, hair a strange metallic violet color that curled ever so perfectly at her shoulders, she still gave the Italian a strange vibe.

With stiff and awkwardly slow movements, she gestured towards the bed, her voice coming out particularly monotonous and devoid of any real emotion, "I've gathered some clothes for you."

Veneziano just stared dumbfounded. This woman... she was helping him? Who was she?

With equally slow steps, her heels clicking loudly and echoing off the walls, the eerily beautiful woman made her way over towards the door. The auburn haired man hesitantly sidestepped, brows still scrunched in confusion at the whole thing. Before she could make it to the door, he cleared his throat, voice failing him for a moment.

"W-wait... don't go," he managed to say, catching the attention of the emotionless woman who slowly turned to stare at him with grey eyes, "Excuse me, but where are we?" he asked her, biting his lip a bit from the lack of response. "And how did I get here?"

The woman's eyes trailed over to that of the wall, almost in a trance like state. "Yes, master... We will keep him here for a while. I will make sure he stays comfortable." She made no other reply to the Italian, and infact, it seemed as though she were ignoring him.

Head tilting in confusion, he turned to view the painting the violet haired woman was staring at, the old man painted in professional strokes stared back at him almost tauntingly. Something about the canvas seemed off to him in that moment, giving him an uneasy feeling, almost as if he were being watched.

Then the fatigue hit him, his head spinning and legs giving out from beneath him. He had barely managed to catch himself, collapsing onto his side as his hand shot out to stop his upper body from following suit. Light pants escaped him, eyes blinking rapidly to fight off the urge to just sleep. After a brief moment, he felt himself wake up slightly, inhaling deeply as his mind cleared. He blinked, eyes scanning the room quickly only to find he was alone once again.

How he hated being alone...

_'But that woman... She was so beautiful, almost _too _beautiful. It almost seems unnatural...'_

Still, she seemed friendly enough. He wouldn't judge her on her strange behavior. Everyone had their quirks.

With a bit of difficulty, he finally stood and faced the bed, eying the clothes displayed upon the clean sheets. The woman, the maid he now assumed, had said she gathered the clothes for him. Remembering her words during the strange trance like state she was in, he also figured he was welcome within the castle. Even more so, Italy was a _guest_.

Deciding that he shouldn't roam the castle naked, he made his way over towards the clothes and eyed the fancy material. The outfit was lovely, consisting of an off-white blouse that hugged at the waist, allowing the sleeves to puff out before being hugged back against the wrists by a glossy grey ribbon that weaved in and out of the material and tied into a bow with the cuffs ruffling out a bit at the ends. The lower edges of the blouse was decorated in more lace, faint floral patterns ghosting over the base material. The bottoms were a bit questionable, being made up of deep taupe colored bloomer shorts, an elegant ivory button upon each side, the edges decorated in almost the same elaborate lace pattern to complete the look. It was almost as if they were meant to be worn together.

Socks in that same deep taupe color, accompanied by mid-calf length boots of a slightly lighter shade of brown, sat off to the side of the bed, making the Italian wonder if the shoes would even fit him. He wondered if any of it would fit him, honestly. How could the woman know his size?

Shrugging, he allowed the sheets that covered his frame to fall to the floor, a shiver escaping him as cool air hit his bare skin. Might as well try the clothes on, right? So gently placing the Germanic pendant upon the bed, he began to make work in dressing himself.

And much to his surprise, the clothes fit perfectly, almost as if they were tailored to fit his measurements! Even the boots were a perfect size, though the socks were longer than them, causing them to peak out a good inch or so, though stopped right at his knees. The shorts were... well... short. They were a good two and half (or was that three?) inches above his knees, and it made him feel a bit uncomfortable, especially since the feeling of being watched returned to him tenfold. He just couldn't shake the feeling of eyes glued to his being, and it made him want to hide.

But Italy was alone, only the clock that ticked the time away kept him company, everything else was just dead silent.

He couldn't take it anymore, he had to find out where he was, get some clues, maybe even find Lovino and Ludwig! A smile tugged at his lips at the thought, hands gingerly grasping the necklace and slipping it over his head, the black cross standing out greatly against the white fabric. Yes, that was a wonderfully calming thought.

_'You'll be so proud of me, won't you Germany? When you find out I didn't run away scared, you'll be so surprised!'_

Giggling at his mental statement, he pushed open the door the maid had gone through, and thus began his investigation.

The hall was connected by a door to the far left and another set of wide stairs that led to a lower level was at his right. Italy groaned, realizing the castle must be full of horrible stairs. He was already exhausted and didn't look forward to climbing anymore of those things. With little thought, he settled for exploring the door instead, sticking his tongue out at the stairs childishly as he opened the door and closed it behind him. He was now in a walkway, the cool breeze of outside ruffling his hair slightly as the sound of moving branches greeted his ears. Other than that...

More silence.

His boots echoed down the long walkway, making him wince at the loud sound. Adjusting his stance, he tredded slightly sideways in a cautious manner, and that seemed to lighten the steps a bit.

Noticing the pillars that adorned the walkway, he admired the growing rose bushes that decorated the entire thing even further. But one looked bare. Curiosity piqued once again, the Italian approached it and examined the display. Being closer, he could now see the dark stains that were smudged down the outter facing of the pillar. It became thicker and deeper in color, and as the newly risen moon's light shined down on it, realization struck him hard.

_'I-Is th-that b-blood...? !'_

His heart caught in his throat, the sudden discovery causing him to slightly panic. Backing away from the substance coating the pillar, he quickly lunged for the first door directly across from the bloody pillar, but it was locked. A small whimper produced by himself echoed slightly in the empty hallway, the dying sound catching his attention as he stared down the half illuminated area. It was dark, and all the more frightening, feet rooted on the spot for he didn't want to move.

_'This place is so scary,' _he mentally whined, swallowing hard in an attempt to calm himself, _'But I have to keep moving.'_

So with a deep breath, Feliciano forced his legs to move forward while keeping his back pressed against the wall, eyes transfixed on the bloodstained pillar. Glancing to the side, he was approaching the small section of the walkway that was mostly plunged in darkness, but a door stood before it. Reaching for the nob, he prayed it would be unlocked for him to slip into.

And it was, relief sweeping over him as he sighed out with a smile.

Pushing the door open, he entered what seemed to be a small study area. Bookshelves made up the entire left side of the room along with an alcove and desk. Just before him was a podium of sorts, holding papers and the like. Finally, to his right was a corner desk with more books. Papers hung on walls in a messy fashion, so the nation assumed the room must be fairly well used.

Moving to the left, he skimmed through the books that sat atop the desk. They were all in latin, a language long forgotten by his people. He himself was now a little rusty in speaking the dead language, but he hadn't completely forgotten. It was the closest thing, besides the ancient buildings left behind, that reminded him of his grandfather. He would forever know at least the basics of the language.

"But why would these be in Latin?" he spoke aloud to himself, brows furrowing in confusion as he snapped the book shut and set it back down upon the desk.

The drawers of the desk were locked, much to his disappointment, so he moved his curiosity elsewhere, settling on investigating the papers that were pinned against the wall. Upon further investigation, he discovered they surrounded a chalkboard with hurried writing all over it.

"Luminessants," he said slowly, trying the name on his tongue. He had never heard of anything by that name, so he continued to read to himself, "Luminessants are tiny creatures that respond to the etheral energies given off by Azoth. They can be used to track down nearby Azoth. However, several precautions must be taken while handling them..."

The Italian nation paused, head tilting in more confusion from what he had just read. What is 'Azoth'? And what exactly was this 'Luminessants' creature? Shrugging a bit, he resumed reading, hoping the board would have the answer to his questions.

_One: When Luminessants come into direct contact with an Azoth infused item or being, they send forth a small charge which shocks the carrier. The higher the concentration of Azoth in said carrier, the greater and more powerful the shock._

Still no information of any immediate help.

_Two: Luminessants' lifespan is dramatically decreased whenever they come into direct contact with the open air. This time differs from specimen to specimen, but is never much longer than a few minutes._

And that was all the board had written down, a big disappointment, at least to the northerner.

Huffing, hands on his hips from frustration, he took one more glance around the room before deeming it unimportant. He didn't understand any of what was written on the board, and quite frankly, he didn't care. He wanted answers, not more questions, and so with another huff, he made his way out of the study and back out into the walkway.

Feeling a bit more confident by the distraction, he made his way down the hall, his footsteps echoing once again, but he didn't pay attention to it this time, settling for observing the stone walls and the lone candle lit in the corner of the upcoming corner of the room. The castle structure and design was simply beautiful, almost enough to distract him from the shadow that appeared on the wall opposite at his right.

Almost.

He paused, finding it to be the figure of a rather large person. They were holding something above their head, but he couldn't exactly make it out from his spot behind the wall. Carefully, he chanced a peek around the corner, hand gently placed against the wall as he slowly rounded the corner. Just before he could catch a glimpse of the person, something flew at him, nearly hitting him in the face.

Italy let out a gasp, jerking himself backwards to avoid getting hit, resulting in him falling flat on his bottom. He winced, but remained quiet all the same, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Brown eyes drifted over towards what nearly assaulted him: an old and dirty looking bisque doll, dressed in a navy blue dress and bonnet (Though, Italy assumed it might have been a lighter shade of blue if it weren't for the condition the doll was in).

Heavy feet stomped their way over languidly from the opposite hall, giving the Italian an idea of the size to whom they belonged. His sight shifted hesitantly from the doll, over to the pair of massive feet that now came into view, covered in poorly tailored brown leather shoes. He trailed up the stranger's bulky legs, noting the dark pants with tattered edges that began mid-calf, up to the equally tattered dirty white shirt that came up to the stranger's large elbows. Fair skin with light brown hair cut rather close against his scalp, his posture hunched in an almost stalking manner. But the biggest thing that stood out to the Italian though, were the eyes. Dark brown, large, and _watching. _The large man had no readable expression, he simply just watched the auburn haired nation as he squirmed slightly on the floor under his gaze.

Those large, semi bulging eyes went over towards the doll that was now in his hand, and back over towards the nation. Back to his doll... and back over to the Italian.

Musty and dirty doll.

Porcelain skinned Feliciano.

Doll.

_Feliciano._

He stared at the Italian with a growing smile, one that would rival Russia's in a competition of crazed childishness. The large man simply tossed his doll aside as if it were an old forgotten toy, his smile spreading from ear to ear, turning into a massive grin that revealed missing and rotting teeth.

And those _eyes _just gleaming in excitement.

A loud grunt escaped the man's chapped lips, groaning incoherent sounds as if he couldn't form a proper sentence. But he did manage to say one thing that made the Italian nation's blood run cold.

"My dolly!"

Gasping in terror, Feliciano picked himself up from the ground, nearly tripping over himself as he did so with haste, and did what he did best: he ran, darting back towards the study. Loud foot steps followed not too far behind, and it made his heart pound all the more harder against his chest. Eyes darted around the room, panting heavily from fear as he tried to find a place to hide.

_'Behind the door!'_

Making a dive for it, Italy crouched down behind the door where the light just seemed to avoid hitting, the dark shadows providing great cover for him. The sound of grunts and large footsteps came closer, and the man was now within the study, searching for the fleeing nation. The smaller man didn't dare move, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks from how violently he was shaking. The stalker was still looking, still grunting, and- was he _sniffing the air?! _A satisfied groan escaped the massive man, his hunched figure turning so he was now facing the door, appearing to be leaving now.

That assumption was quickly shot down when the door was suddenly slammed shut, revealing the quivering Italian crouched in the corner. Feli let out a small shriek, darting out from his hiding spot to rush around the center podium of the room, keeping far away as possible from the burly man who just kept smiling as if he were playing a game.

"L-leave me alone!" he screamed, rushing past the man-child quickly and opening the door, dashing out of the study without pause as he sprinted back towards the guest room he had first arrived in.

_'Maybe that maid will help me!' _he thought hopefully, pushing open the doors that blocked his path without bothering to close them behind him.

Stumbling into his temporary room, he did manage to close that one, taking in deep breaths of air as panic continued to rise in his throat.

"I-I have to get away!" he cried out to himself in fear, eyes wildly darting around the room for some sort of safe haven. "But... where to?" He felt his heart pound particularly hard against his chest at the sight that greeted him.

The bed.

Acting fast, he slid under the bed and pressed himself against the wall, huddling up into himself as he tried to make himself just disappear. Seconds later, the large man came bursting through the door, his heavy grunts greeting the frightened Italian's ears once again. He heard him sniffing the air again as another groan escaped the man, but this one was more disappointed.

"Where is you?" the stalker squeaked, thumping his way down into the sitting area of the room and out the front door, where his steps continued to become fainter and fainter, before dying away altogether.

Italy let out a choking sob once the coast was clear, breaking down in a fit of tears and letting himself express the full terror he felt during the horrifying experience. Shoulders shuddered, entire body trembling as his heart refused to calm. And yet, his body felt as though it could fall into a deep slumber at any time. But no, he wouldn't allow himself to sleep, especially now knowing that monster was lurking about looking for him. No, he had to keep searching, he _wanted _to keep searching. He wanted to escape.

But most of all...

... he wanted...

"I-I want G-Germany!" his voice cracked in the horrible silence, letting the sobbing nation know that he was truly, and utterly, alone.


	3. Chapter 2: A grand Welcome

**Little by little, more dialogue is coming into play, which makes things a little easier to keep interesting haha~ **

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Italy finally managed to crawl out from underneath the bed, having taken a few moments to just cry out his fears. Eyes red and puffy, he hiccuped a bit and wiped his cheeks with the sleeves of his blouse. He had his moment, and now it was time to be brave, so calming down and inching his way slowly towards the door, he returned to his mission. That other man, the large monster like being, had gone through the front door, so the nation was definitely not going that way. He would do his best to stay far away from the stalker.

Re-opening the door to the open hallway, he decided to return to the walkway (steadily avoiding eye contact with the bloodstained pillar), and press onward passed the point of encounter with the stranger. He caught sight of the abandoned bisque doll on the floor, hesitantly crouching over to pick it up. It had a musty scent to it, old and rotting. Feli wrinkled his nose in disgust, feeling sympathetic for the poor mistreated doll. Maybe if he found a bathroom he could clean it? That seemed like a good idea.

Looking around, he spotted a door at the far left of the hallway to his right, deciding to investigate and see if a bathroom lied beyond. One of the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling creaked every few seconds or so, it was the only sound aside from his footsteps, which was beyond creepy for him. Pushing open the door, the room within looked abandoned for it was covered in dust and cobwebs, a large collapsed chandelier at the center, and a lone typewriter in the left corner.

"Ve~?" the Italian breathed, approaching the old object as he stared at it in confusion. Seems rather outdated to have a typewriter, then again, everything in this castle was, in fact, outdated. Placing the doll aside, he began to mess with the object, his inner child coming out as he played with the keys and spelled out his nation name.

"V-e-n-e-z-i-a-n-o. Veneziano!" he spelled out, pressing enter and expecting a loud _ding! _to chime from the old thing. And it did, but what caused him to gasp in surprise was the medium sized metal plate that popped out in sync with the sound.

_Venezian _was engraved on the plate, the 'o' of his nation name cut off from the thing. It seemed the machine couldn't fit more than eight letters, which was a little strange in his opinion, but he didn't dwell on the thought.

"So this machine is used to engrave letters onto these plate things..." he held the slightly heavy plate within his hand, turning it a bit to observe the edges more.

The only question is, why build a machine for this sole purpose? What do the plates do? He shrugged, pocketing the plate in his shorts and giving the place one final look over. This was definitely not a restroom, so with a sigh, he left the room and proceeded back down to the walkway where he found the doll. A door blocked by a metal crate was just before him. He didn't want to put the effort in pushing the heavy looking object, but it seemed he had no choice.

Placing the doll on a nearby round table, which had a lit candelabra to provide some light, he faced the crate and pressed both hands firmly against it. He groaned, the object being much heavier than it looked... or perhaps he was just much too tired than usual? Either way, it was proving difficult to move the thing. Finally, the obstacle was cleared, allowing the door to be accessed by the Italian.

He sighed in relief, leaning against the big object with a bit of sweat accumulating on his brow. This was starting to get ridiculous. He was far too tired for something so simple. He really needed to discuss this with his boss.

Grabbing the doll from the table once again, he opened the door and stepped in the new room. A wooden table at the center held various chemicals and equipment. Round bottom flasks, funels, and clear tubes that connected it all were splayed out, along with various books and papers. To the left stood a massive statue of a humanoid creature, it was blocking the way to another door, which the nation found to be a little strange. A lone lamp hanging from the cieling illuminated the room, making everything seem a little off color, though the lit fireplace in the back of the room helped with that a bit. There was a pot sitting above it, as if it were cooking something, Violet smoke coming out from it from the tremendous heat.

_'Probably for refining,' _he decided, allowing his eyes to trail elsewhere.

Moving over to the table, he began to rummage through the books, finding nothing of interest before glancing over towards the papers that accompanied them. They looked rather old, and it was apparent someone had spent a long while studying them. Thinking they may be important, he began to read.

_A deciphering of the book of origins, seferru Yetira, has uncovered the process for creating "life from the earth-soil."_

_This Golem needs not nourishment nor sleep, making this earthen guardian the ultimate safe-keeper of our deepest alchemic secrets and knowledge._

_I dub this creature _**Emeth**_._

Once again, Feliciano was confused. A Golem? Emeth? Guardian? What was this old parchment talking about? It hurt his head all too much, it had been centuries since he had actually thought scientifically- no- _alchemically_. This castle was frozen in time, and so he needed to backtrack in his mind to accommodate.

Actually, he just needed to be less _lazy._

Italy was, by no means at all, dumb or stupid. He was just lazy, and let everyone else do the thinking for him. Yes, nations changed in strength, they couldn't forever hold all that power and would become weakened at some point in time, but they didn't lose their knowledge or intelligence. Italy was, in fact, quite clever and smart.

"But I'm already so exhausted," he sighed, "I need a siesta..."

The cogs within his mind began to turn, studying the paper within his hand and glancing around the room. Eyes fell onto the large statue in front of the door, deciding to observe it closer. It had a small slot in it's chest, where something thin and flat could fit into. With a small 'Aha!' of realization, Feliciano held the bisque doll against him with his elbow, holding the parchment while he dug into his pockets with his free hand. Taking out the plate from his pocket, it seemed it was the perfect size to fit within the slot. So without a second thought, he inserted the item into the statue's chest.

Moments ticked by as the Italian waited with wide and excited eyes for something to happen.

But nothing ever did.

The clay being just stood there, unmoving as if it didn't accept the keyplate. Maybe there had to be something specific written on it? But what exactly did he have to write? The possibilities were endless! Was there a specific password? Feli groaned, feeling more tired by the second as he leaned back against the table to rest his eyes. The parchment slipped through his fingers, landing on the floor with an almost silent sound, but it was that exact sound that caused his eyes to snap open.

"Golem," he breathed, looking down at the bold letters written on the paper at his feet, "Emeth!"

Placing the dirty doll on the wooden table, he ran out of the Golem room with his fatigue currently forgotten, and down the hall back towards the abandoned room, the plate key room. He quickly typed up the letters, pressing the enter key and not bothering to give the plate a second glance as he grabbed the item once it engraved. Returning back to the room, he smiled brightly at the Golem, holding up the plate and positioning it at the entrace of the slot.

His smile fell once he glanced down at the item, for he actually typed up _Meth_ rather than _Emeth. _But it was too late, the Golem sucked up the plate into it's chest, startling the Italian slightly. He pouted, groaning inwardly about having to go all the way back to retype the plate. But the sudden sound of something crumbling caught his attention, freezing him in his steps.

The Statue... The Golem... it was _breaking, _massive chunks of the clay being falling to the ground before turning into nothing but dust. The door behind where it once stood was now free to enter, but the poor thing was a heap of nothingness on the floor. It saddened the nation, made him feel bad for the statue's fate. According to the parchement, it was only doing it's job of guarding the door. It never hurt anybody.

Italy shook his head, he really needed to stop his mind from wandering around so much. Grabbing the doll once again, he approached the dust with sad eyes- only to pause as his eyes caught sight of something within the remains. Kneeling over, he gently shook the item clean of the residue, revealing a rather beautiful looking Obsidian Choker.

"Beautiful," he said aloud, eyes glued to the elegant neck accessory. And he smiled. He smiled, thinking that perhaps the Golem had left him such a parting gift. "Grazie," he thanked the ash, placing the choker in his pocket for safe keeping and moving on.

The door led to what Italy assumed to be the castle garden. The garden was below him though, and looked rather dead from his view at the second floor. The well at the center was also boarded up, and added to the much abandoned feel of the place.

"How to get down there," he thought aloud, tapping his chin slightly while scanning the area. The stairs were broken at his right, proving to be useless for him. He was about to give up and turn back when he noticed a ladder at the edge of the wall. He grimaced, really disliking all the physical activity this place seemed all too eager to provide. Sucking it up, he approached the ladder and made his way down, clutching the metal object tightly as he did so. He didn't like heights.

Landing on the ground with a relieved sigh, he spotted two doors to his left. The first was locked, and would need a key to be opened if the Italian were to proceed any further, so he tried the second, which opened without any trouble. This door led to another walkway of sorts, but Feli didn't mind, the stars and moon outside were rather calming for him, so he would enjoy every bit of the outdoors while he could. Though, it was strange not running into anyone else within the castle. He hoped to find someone soon.

Rushing down some steps, the wall to his right was decorated with various Roman statues, all decorating a single door. The display was grandiose and so the nation decided to investigate further, pulling open the door and entering the room silently.

The gentle sounds of a piano graced his ears, and Italy soon realized he had entered a beautiful music room. Harps, cellos, violins, and more were gathered on a large stage at the right side of the room, bookshelves with what the Italian assumed to be music sheets were at the left, and in the center of the room was a small coffee table with comfortable plush seats surrounding it. On top of the table sat a single key.

_'The key to that door in the castle gardens!' _

The nation beamed, advancing on the small item with a hand outstretched and ready to take it, before stopping in his tracks at the sound of the piano halting in it's melody, a harsh off-key slam starling him. It seemed someone else was in the room with him.

Looking up, he could see the music room had two floors, though the second floor was very high up, much too high to catch a glimpse of.

"Ah, Feliciano. I see you've finally awakened..." came the voice of another man, rather loud and full of confidence, though from the tone he held, it would be safe to assume he could be of nobel descent. "There's something that I've wanted to show you for quite some time."

"W-what?" was all Italy could stutter out, confusion once again becoming all too friendly with him.

"Pull away that sheet behind you..." It came out as a command, causing the nation to flinch.

Not questioning the voice, he turned slowly, wondering what sheet the man was speaking of. That question was quickly answered at the sight of a large white sheet covering something that sat on one of the sofas. How he didn't notice that earlier, was beyond him. He was much too excited by the sight of the key to really see, perhaps.

Doing as he was told, he carefully stood in front of the covered object, hand hovering over the sheet for a moment before pulling it away and revealing the horrific thing beneath it's shelter.

He gasped, taking a step back and staring at the wooden carving of himself seated on the sofa. The _pregnant _wooden carving of himself.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the voice filtered through again, "That, my dear, is what you will become in the future. Go ahead... you may touch it."

_'I think i'll refrain from touching it... Dio, even looking at it makes my skin crawl.'_

That voice was just so taunting, "You _will _be mine, Feliciano!" And they laughed, their voice echoing slightly and becoming fainter as they seemed to be leaving the room.

The Italian shuddered, eyes avoiding the wooden carving as he took a few steps back. It was rather disturbing to look at, more because of the fact that the carving was depicting a pregnant version of himself. How on earth would that even happen? He was a male, and last time he checked, a member of the male species couldn't exactly give birth, much less, become pregnant. Who ever that other man was, he really needed to brush up on his science, or maybe he was just plain crazy. Italy didn't really want to find out, instead, making a grab for the key and quickly rushing out the room.

"Just keep moving," he chanted to himself, hugging the musty doll close for a sense of comfort as he trudged his way back to the castle garden, the garden key gripped tightly in his right hand.

Once at the gardens, he made a beeline towards the locked door, shoving the key into the lock and twisting it, satisfied by the sound of the faint _click_ that came with unlocking it. Before he could open it, the sound of something creaking made him pause. Taking a few steps away to peer over towards the door he had just come from, he stared for a few moments before spotting something hovering it's way over.

It was a small blue and glowing sphere, almost ghostly, like one of those spectral orbs that paranormal photographers seemed to catch on film. But this glowing creature felt different than that. It wasn't some paranormal creature, but he couldn't really pin point the right words to describe it.

Silently it floated, bobbing up and down gently as it cruised it's way over to him, almost like a cute little firefly. It drew him in, taking a step forward and reaching a hand out towards the ethereal creature-

_Ethearal._

"Wait-" eyes widened as realization came all too late.

The moment the creature came in contact with his skin, it ruptured and sent painful shockwaves through his body. It lasted for only a second, but it caused his heart to pound harshly against his chest, panicking at the high pitched wave it emitted. The Italian shook slightly, almost tripping over his own legs as he stumbled towards the newly unlocked door.

He leaned against it, catching his breath at the encounter with the Luminessants. After the initial shock, it wasn't all too bad really, and he was actually calming down already. Giving the doll in his arms a small squeeze, he smiled down at it, "That wasn't so bad~"

Heavy footsteps rushing towards his location made him eat those words, body tensing as he heard those familiar loud grunts.

_'No, not him!'_

Looking up towards the second floor of the gardens, he spotted the large stalker with dark eyes, growing grin on his face as he caught sight of the frightened Italian below. The man-child cooed, lowering himself down the ladder with glee.

Italy was rooted on the spot, knees shaking as the man finally reached the bottom and stood before him. Although he towered over the nation, that toothy smile of pure excitement somehow made him think that perhaps he had misjudged the man. Wrongly accused him of being a monster.

"C-Ciao," he stuttered out, "I'm F-Feliciano." He now forced a quivering smile on his face, waving his hand a bit in a friendly gesture.

This seemed to make the other happy, for his arms went wide, bringing the Italian in for a hug. It startled him, and the uncomfortable pressure on his lower spine was concerning. Surely this wasn't a hug normal humans could withstand, for by now any other being's spine would have been snaped like a toothpick!

"A-ah," he winced again, the pressure now becoming unbearble, even for a nation, "L-let me go, that h-hurts!"

The stranger didn't listen, now swinging the smaller man side to side violently.

"I-I said let GO!"

With a well aimed elbow shot to the man's neck, he was dropped instantly onto his side as the other stumbled a bit with a pained grunt. He slowly pushed himself up, back throbbing slightly in pain. Any other human would be dead by now from the crushing force.

_'Thankfully I'm not-'_

His mental speech was cut short by a fist connecting roughly with his cheek, pushing him back onto the floor with great force, legs shooting up from inertia before collapsing back down. Thoughts became jumbled, and his brain had to shut down briefly from the damage it had recieved.

After restarting, body tense and numb, the first sense to return to him was sound. Shuffling. Shifting.

Touch. A numbing sensation slowly leaving him and quickly being replaced with feeling of hands roaming his legs.

_Big calloused_ hands. Hands that belonged to_ him._

Brown eyes snapped open, pupils dilated with a sudden rush of energy. Sitting up quickly while kicking himself away from the other, he was instantly back on his feet and backing away from the other.

Oh how his head was pounding.

Groaning, Feliciano sped to the door past the man and pulled it open, rushing inside as the hallway he was in blurred past him in a hurry. The first door to his right had some sort of strange mechanism and no door handle, so obviously he couldn't hide there. Rushing down some steps, he followed the curving hall and tried the door to his left, relieved when it gave way. Not pausing to observe his new surroundings, though managing to pick up that he was inside a sort of kitchen area, he didn't think of where to go, and just followed the open small hall that led down a flight of stairs, a sharp turn to the right that led to a small cellar.

Many wines were stocked upon shelves, sacks of food and crates alike littering the room. The only place to hide was a single wooden table at the center, a large peice of paper sitting on top.

_'I don't have time for this! I have to get away!'_

Ignoring the paper for now, he got on all fours and crawled under the table, feeling a bit childish from the chosen hiding spot.

"Maybe I should hide somewhere el-" he stopped himself from speaking anymore, hearing the burly man's foot steps coming close.

The stalker thudded his way around the cellar, sniffing the air and looking around everywhere, even inside the small crates that held fruits and veggetables. Why would he think the smaller man could fit in such a tiny space, he had no clue, but he wasn't about to question the peruser's thought process, much less _ask _the creepy person.

More sniffing, and he could feel himself grow more and more panicked by the minute. His mind was starting to whirl, sweat accumulating on his brows from nerves, and despite the horrid stench that doll carried, he hugged it all the more tighter and willed his tears to remain unshed.

"F-F-Feli~!" the other man cooed, barely able to pronounce his words, "F-F-Feli~!"

Feliciano heard slapping of some sort, like the man was hitting himself on the head as his feet moved excitedly. And after that display, the stalker grunted his way back up the stairs to the kitchen, and out of the auburn haired man's sight. The cellar was now silent, only the erratic beating of his heart and harsh breaths could be heard in the small area. He rested his head against his arms, eyes closing and allowing the now minor headache to pass. Swallowing his nerves, he carefully crawled out from under the table and leaned against it, wiping his brows and face with his sleeve.

If he hadn't touched that Luminessants, he most likely wouldn't have encountered the large man. The glowing orb was nothing but trouble, and according to the board from which he read about them, there would be more of them. He would be sure to stay clear of the things.

But why did it approach him? Didn't it say the creatures were made to hunt down and were naturally attracted to something called 'Azoth'?

It was a thought to save for later, he decided, turning to face the table and observe the paper that was on top. Much to the nation's delight it was a sketch, a map of the castle, big fancy letters printed at the top labeled 'Belli Castle'.

"Belli Castle?" he repeated, eying the sketch as he studied the many rooms and floors drawn with skill, "I've never heard of this place..."

'Belli' was Italian, that much he knew for sure. It was no wonder he didn't feel as though he were far from his people, he was still in Italy, and that gave the nation some hope. What bothered him though, was still the remaining fact that he hadn't heard of this castle, never in his many, _many _years of life. It was something to look further into.

Folding the map as flat as he could, an easy task from how thin and old the parchment was, he placed it in his back pocket and carefully ascended the stairs, back into the kitchen. The first step he took, he heard a loud thump coming from his left, letting out a yelp at the sudden sound. Cautiously walking towards his left, he kept his back pressed against the kitchen counter, eyes never leaving that of the window, thinking maybe something, or rather, _someone _was out there.

Moments passed, and nothing could be seen from the window. No other sound was heard. No other form of threat to his safety.

He sighed, relieved it was just his imagination running wild.

A loud _SLAM _from the counter behind him caused him to shriek, spinning on his heel quickly only to come face to face with the larger man. His face was only a few inches away, and coming closer by the minute, his putrid breath ghosting over the Italian's face, allowing the full effect of the disgusting smell to hit him straight on. He grimaced, not wanting to make any sudden movements, but allowed himself to slowly lean back away from the stranger.

The movement seemed to disagree with the man, as he suddenly lunged out to grab the nation, but Feliciano was quick to move back, although he stumbled and fell onto his already bruised rear. The larger man only smiled as though he were having fun, that toothy grin flashing before he reached out once again in attempts to grab the smaller one. Italy crawled away, avoiding the dangerously bulky arms of the other man, thankful for the counter that separated the two. Finally out of arm's reach, he ran out the open door and back into the hallway, closing it behind him as he stumbled out of the kitchen.

Taking a second's breath, he eyed the stairs he had came down from earlier, deciding he should backtrack and maybe go back to the guest room and explore the front of the castle instead.

_'Away from that man!'_

Stumbling over towards the stairs, he panted slightly, muscles becoming heavier and eyes drooping ever so slightly. He blinked and suddenly found himself falling, tripping over the stairs and his heavy legs while in his tired state. He clutched the musty doll loosely, eyes blinking while he tried to fight the wave of exhaustion that suddenly came over him. Healing from that fatal wound took a lot out of him.

The sound of a door slowly opening was quick to snap him out of his daze. Hesitantly, he looked over only to spot the large man walking out casually, shoulders still perpetually hunched as he closed the door behind him with a sort of frown on his slightly deformed face.

Feliciano inwardly dreaded the moment the man spotted him, and it came all too soon. A single glance was thrown in the Italian's direction, seemingly uninterested before stopping as his mouth pulled open in a surprised expression, head slowly turning back to face the smaller man on the staircase floor. He grinned happily, closing the distance between the two. But the nation would have none of that, and forced himself to get up and continue to run, if so, rather languidly.

His legs just refused to move any faster, more pants escaping the tired nation. The man was right behind him, and he could feel the presence of a hand right above his shoulder. He knew he was done for, surely about to get caught by the massive man.

"Exire Debilitas!" a harsh and commanding voice sounded out, freezing both Italy and the man a few inches away from him.

No one else was around, save for the two currently standing dumbly in the hallway. The man, whom Italy now assumed to be named Debilitas, scanned the empty area, hand still hovering over his shoulder as if he were reluctant to stop. He then pouted, shoulders slumping more than usual and hand dropping to his side. Debilitas looked like a scolded child standing there with that look on his face. It would have been amusing if it weren't for the fact that the man literally towered over the Italian. Without another word, he turned slowly and treaded his way back down the steps, but not before giving the nation a final saddened look over his shoulder.

"Please excuse me, sir," came the voice once again, and Italy could have sworn he heard it before. From the direction of the door to the gardens appeared a hooded man, all in tan robes with sandles. "I am Riccardo, keeper of the castle."

The Italian was suspicious, face kept hard and distant, trying not to convey any form of friendliness or fatigue. From what he has learned, and very quickly, was that there was more than meets the eye to everything and everyone in the castle.

"So sorry to hear about your accident," Riccardo spoke softly, yet his voice didn't seem all too sorry, "Your loved ones..."

Memories of the car crash returned to him, more of it becoming slightly clearer. That horrible sound of metal clashing against metal. The glass shattering all around him. But most importantly, the other two nations that were with him: Romano and Germany.

"Your german friend and your brother, Lovino, are both deceased."

The words made his breath catch in his throat, eyes widening at the horrible news revealed to him.

Dead? No, that couldn't be.

They were nations, they couldn't die from something as simple as a car crash...

... Right?

"And since your grandfather is no longer around either," the words caught the nation's attention once again, "You, Feliciano are the sole surviving heir of Belli Castle."

And what horrible timing his fatigue had, overcoming him quickly as it made his head spin. He was exhausted and needed to sleep, right now. Eyes drooped as he gasped for air, knees buckling beneath him as they struggled to keep him up.

"Are you in pain, sir?" Riccardo spoke again through his hazey mind, "Will you be alright?"

God, he just couldn't focus on that covered face anymore, feeling himself slowly sinking down onto the cold floor, doll long forgotten.

"You've had a long day. Please, rest upstairs," Riccardo continued, "Your bed has been prepared..."

And that was the last thing he heard before succumbing to the darkness.


	4. Chapter 3: And then there were two

**Thank you, Tak Dragon, for making me smile and roll in delight with your reviews! I worked hard (and fast) during the first break I got from work so that I may upload this for you!**

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_The limo was speeding down the highway, jerking twice and throwing the three nations against it's metal frame. He could hear his brother let out a curse, before a final loud crash threw them forward, centimeters away from slamming against the sharpened and bent frame-_

Feliciano awoke with a scream, jolting up from his bed and panting erratically while tears gathered in his eyes. He quivered, closing his eyes as he willed the images to disappear from his mind.

"No," he sobbed, breath hitching as a single tear fell from his eyes, "This isn't real...it's just a dream!" A sharp intake of breath, "This can't be happening to me... It can't be."

No, none of it could be true. Romano was alive, Germany was alive, and they were out there somewhere. They were looking for him right now. They would find him, and everything will be okay. Italy would leave this horrific place behind and move on with his life.

That's what he told himself, at least.

But something continued to nag at him, something told him to stay. It was a small voice in the back of his mind, wanting to find out how these people knew his human name, knew of his brother, and much more importantly, how they knew of his grandfather. Rome fell so long ago, so it was impossible for these humans to know of the massive empire personification personally. Unless he investigated further, he would never know.

He was just so damn _scared! _The Italian couldn't stop himself from quivering at the sight of Debilitas, couldn't shake the feeling of fear when standing before Riccardo, and even the maid who had helped him by giving him clothes made him feel awkward.

There was another underlying nagging feeling that caused him to frown deeply. Nations were able to sense the aura of other living beings; They could determine a human's aura and where they came from. The fact of the matter is: Italy couldn't remember sensing a human's aura from any of the three inhabitants of the castle. It was possible that he was just too scared at the time. Maybe he was going crazy?

Yes, that seemed likely.

But the question remained: Were his friend and brother really alive? Or was Riccardo telling the truth?

A sudden pained grunt from outside shattered his thoughts.

"W-wha-" the Italian stumbled out of bed, head spinning momentarily at the sudden action as he quickly made his way down into the sitting area of the bedroom and peered out the window.

Nothing met his sight at first, the lighting much too dark to clearly see outside, so he waited a bit for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Still nothing but rotting plants and bare trees, along with a few crows perched on the darkened branches. Maybe he was imagining things? Then again, the last time he thought he was imagining things, it turned out to be real. Taking a glance towards the door on the opposite side of the room, he decided to explore outside of the castle like he planned to earlier, maybe find out if he was truly hearing things.

Hesitantly, Feliciano opened the door, stepping out into the cool air as goosebumps littered his exposed thighs. He took note of searching the guest room later for longer pants to change into. Approaching the railing along the stairs, he peered out over the castle yard, looking down the dirt path and over towards the large rotting tree surrounded by weedy cobblestone. A dark figure was slumped against the trunk, the Italian's eyes narrowing a bit as he tried to see who it was.

Dark worn shoes covering pale feet, filthy pants that were torn in a careless fashion, resulting in it to be lopsided, and finially a white shirt that seemed much too large for the figure that worn it, though it appeared to be more brown looking than anything due to how dirty it was. Their clothes, over all, were rather torn and stained with blotches of what the Italian hesitantly assumed to be blood.

At first, Feli thought it to be that man, Debilitas, but it seemed a bit strange for it to be him. Debilitas was huge, perhaps as large in height as Russia, and bulkier than anyone Italy had ever seen. No, it obviously wasn't the stalker.

Eyes trailed further up the person's figure, trying to determine who they were, legs moving on their own accord as he tried to come closer to the other. More of that pale skin was revealed, and whoever they were, they were rather muscular. In fact... they seemed almost... familiar.

"Scusa?" he called out softly, not wanting to alert any other unwanted attention towards himself.

The figure fidgeted, shifting slightly in place as the sound of- were those _chains?_- resounded in the night air. A gruff cough came from them, and the closer Italy came to the figure, the clearer he could see their face. Brown eyes lit up the second they landed on the other's face.

"Ludwig!" he cried out happily, breaking out into a run and falling to his knees just before the groggy looking German.

"I-Italy?" the blond coughed again, groaning in pain as the Italian hugged him tightly, "Feliciano, are you alright?"

"Sì," the smaller man replied, eyes shut tightly as a few tears fell from happiness. Finally, a familiar and friendly face. Leaning back, he observed his friend more closely, brows pulled together in worry while taking note of the damage. "You're-," his voice cracked, new tears forming in his eyes from the worry, "You're hurt!"

He knew his voice sounded pathetic, but he couldn't help it. Germany looked so... so defeated, and it saddened the Italian to see him in such a state. Another wave of tears assaulted him, and just before they could fall, he felt strong arms pull him against another warm body. German poured from the other's lips, surprisingly soothing as opposed to the tough sound the language naturally carried, but that was most likely due to the fact that it was instantly related back to the German nation himself. Feliciano had always felt safe when Ludwig was with him.

"I'm fine," God, his voice was so raspy, "It's alright. I'm glad you're safe."

Italy pulled away slightly once more, sniffling and drying his tears with his sleeve, "Where were you? What happened?"

Germany paused, mouth pulled into a thin line as he thought for a moment, "I woke up while being carried by some large man,"-a small gasp from Italy-"But I was hardly conscious. My head hurt too much to focus all that well. I did manage to catch part of a conversation with someone else. I couldn't see his face though."

"Another man?" Italy asked, looking down slightly as he began to think, "Maybe that was Riccardo," he mumbled more to himself, thinking aloud. It caught the German's interest, for he could see his friend lowering himself to view the Italian's face with confusion. "He's the keeper of the castle," he clarified, but it didn't seem to ease the blond's confusion.

"How would you know that?"

"He-" Italy bit his lip, staying quiet for a moment, "He told me."

"He told you?!" he suddenly bellowed in disbelief.

"Ve~! He told me!"

Now that was Germany he knew, with that strong, loud voice that shook all those that heard it. Even though Italy was still a bit frightened from the tone, he was absolutely ecstatic to hear it.

His friend released a sigh, rubbing his temples in what Feliciano assumed to be frustration as he did so. A few moments of silence, nothing but the sounds of ruffling feathers from the crows above head along with a few caws, until finally blue eyes dared to make contact with brown ones.

"They didn't... hurt you, right?"

He sounded so concerned, and it truly warmed the smaller nation's heart.

Italy smiled slightly, recalling his second run in with that man, Debilitas. He knew the other would worry more, so he kept it sweet and vague. "Well, just once~"

"W-what!? They did?!"

"Eyaah! They did!"

Ludwig really needed to stop his sudden outbursts, they were going to give him a heart attack! After much demand from the German, Italy recalled the past events he had gone through, from meeting the strange and beautiful woman to being chased by Debilitas, along with the various things he had discovered about the castle and Riccardo's words. Speaking of which...

"Have you seen Romano?" Italy asked urgently, worry returning once again, and it only became worse once he saw the blond shake his head 'no' with a deep frown. Eyes lowered again, he himself frowning sadly, "Oh... I was afraid you would say that."

Ludwig placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, "You found me though, even when Riccardo said I was also dead. I'm sure your brother is somewhere around here." He smiled, as well as he could considering the circumstances, "We'll find him. Together."

That made the Italian smile again, brightly and confidently, nodding in agreement as he took a stand, "Va bene! Let's go and find Lovi!"

It took a moment to realize that his friend hadn't moved, and instead, was staring at the floor with a troubled look. It wasn't like the strict man to dilly dally, or postpone something so important. Just as he was about to open his mouth and ask what was wrong, the faint glimmer of something around the man's neck caught his eye.

_'Oh... so _that's_ what I heard,' _he thought glumly.

A chained collar was hooked around the other's neck, tightly as well, restricting most of the larger nation's movement. It looked highly uncomfortable, even more so due to the rust that roughened the edges, and the pained look on Germany's face was all the confirmation he needed to know that was a fact. Now that he was studying the other, he noticed the man's skin was slightly tinted in a few areas around his temple and cheeks. Bruises, the northerner confirmed. If Ludwig hadn't fully healed from those simple human given injuries, then whoever had given them to him must have packed quite the punch for a human. That was crazy though, no mortal being could ever harm a nation to that degree!

"They did this to you?" the Italian barely whispered, feeling much too disgusted with the violent treatment his dearest friend had received.

"It's nothing," he german murmured back, "It just stings a bit."

Veneziano spoke no more, fists clenching in a rare moment of pure angerーnoー_fury._

How _dare _they lay a hand on his best friend! And if that thought alone wasn't enough to push the Italian on edge, he then considered the possibility of his big brother receiving the same harsh treatment.

And that was the final nail on the coffin.

He growled, eyes flashing dangerously at the chains that bound the German nation. Pacing around quickly, he searched the area for something, anything, to break the chain off the man. Spotting a decent sized rock amongst the rotting shrubbery, he picked it up and weighed it in his hands, tossing it back and forth before deeming it worthy. Turning back to face his friend, who at this point was staring at him in confusion, he held up the rock a bit while kneeling over next to the blond.

"Hold still," he commanded the man, pulling him over so he was hunched in an awkward position, then placing the chain just right while lifting the rock above his head. With as much strength as he could muster, along with a small cry from the effort put into it, he smashed the rock against the chain. It chipped, signaling for him to try again.

And he did.

Five times, each hit taking much effort from the fatigued Italian. The effort wasn't in vain, as the rusted chain broke apart, freeing the German from it's clutches as he toppled over in the opposite direction. A grunt came from the larger man, but other than that, he seemed okay. Tossing the rock aside, Feliciano sighed in relief, heaving himself up with a light pant.

"Okay," he managed to breathe out, inhaling deeply as he recomposed himself, "_Now _let's go!"

Ludwig just stared at him bewilderedly, most likely due to his friend's out of character behavior. The smaller man just gave him a reassuring smile, now reaching out for the other's hand and pulling him up. The remainder of the chains around the blond's neck rattled lightly as he stood; They would have to figure out how to get those off somehow, but later. Right now, Feliciano had to focus on getting his friend back into the castle and in good health, since the younger nation's wounds still looked quite terrible. Even the minor cuts have yet to heal, which was still an unsettling thought. The Italian would have to investiaget further on the matter later.

"Bandages," he murmured, causing his friend to look at him in question as they ascended the stairs, "You'll need bandages! I'll go and make some out of my bed sheets!"

"Italy wai-"

Germany's voice went ignored as the Italian bolted his way up the stairs and into the guest bedroom, mind set on creating sufficient bandages for the other as well as prepping the bed for his friend to have some decent rest. The sheets wouldn't be missed. He himself hadn't really used them in his brief moment of sleep!

Although, it wasn't as if he had chosen to go to sleep... He blamed the strange behavior of his body.

* * *

Germany attempted to catch his friend's attention, but two things got in the way of doing so. One being the fact that the Italian had all but ran off up the stairs with determination and refused to pay any mind to the words leaving his mouth. The second fact?

A gate to his far left had suddenly creaked open very slowly, just before he could begin to ascend the second flight of stairs towards the bedroom Italy had gone into. Part of him told him to continue following the other man, but another urged him to investigate.

One quick look couldn't hurt, right?

Taking careful steps around the walkway, all while glancing over towards the window to his right that seemed to show a sort of dining room, Ludwig neared the half open gate quietly. Pushing it open completely, he made his way through as ice blues scanned the area quickly for signs of any threats. Although everything was quiet, but it did nothing to settle his nerves.

To his right was a massive pile of dirt, pebbles from the mountain littering the stone path as if they had fallen while someone climbed it. Upon further inspection, the nation spotted something laying at the very top. Standing nearer, it appeared to be in a rather clean condition, despite being abandoned amongst the dirt. He attempted to climb the pile in order to grab it and see what it was, but the dirt and rocks gave way under his weight, sending him back down onto the stone path along with more pebbles and dirt scattered around. Well that had been completely unproductive.

_'I should get back to Italy, we shouldn't be separated in a place like this.'_

Turning back quickly, eyes briefly catching sight of a massive gate that could possibly be the main entrance, the German nation willed himself to move as fast as he could. He winced at the sudden pain that shot through his nerves from the bruises inflicted on his body. He knew the Italian had caught on as well.

A human couldn't possibly hurt a nation like this.

So the magical question presented itself unto the blond nation as he climbed the second staircase.

_'What is that man?'_

* * *

"It should be fine though," Feliciano mumbled to himself about the sheets, walking through the front door to the guest room and trotting up the trio of steps to the sleeping area, "I don't see why-" All thought process automatically shut down as soon as his eyes fell onto what sat on the bed.

Debilitas was seated at the edge of the bed, bulky legs swinging back and forth childishly as he did so while staring at the floor. Slowly looking over towards Italy, the massive man raised a hand in greeting along with a deep throated "Hi".

The nation stumbled back on instinct once the other stood up, towering over him once again at his full height. Debilitas approached him, instinct once again causing him to move away without thought. Before he knew it, his back was pressed against the wall just under the painting between the fireplace and clock, eyes wide in fear at the cornered state he was currently in. The larger man then began to groan, more like a roar, waving his arms frantically as he stared the nation down.

And then he suddenly stopped, face dropping in playful banter into a more serious expression. His eyes bore into the Italian, emotionless and threatening. Silence settled between them, a staring contest swiftly underway. Italy couldn't understand what was happening. Was the man trying to speak to him? Debilitas had a sort of expecting look, but when the Italian made no word of response, he sprang back to life, arms once again waving wildly. The sudden movement made the nation sink down onto the floor, legs kicking uselessly in an attempt to back away further from the other, but he was already pinned against the wall.

Debilitas approached him, bending over and crawling on all fours as his eyes were wide in curiosity. His hand hovered over the exposed skin of Feliciano's thigh, as he seemed completely focused and determined to touch it. After that terrifying experience before of getting his ribs practically crushed by the man, the nation couldn't stop himself from shaking like a leaf.

"S-Stop!" he managed to cry out, "Go away!"

A grunt was his only reply, hand only a few centimeters away from his skin.

"Italy?"

_'Germany! Thank you, Lord!'_

"L-Ludwig!" he gasped out, head snapping in the direction of the German nation who now stood in the sitting area looking completely confused. Debilitas noticeably turned his attention as well, not at all pleased by the presence of the other man, "Th-that's him! The one ch-chasing me! H-help!"

The blond wasted no time in closing the space between them, narrowly avoiding a swing from the bulkier human and delivering a swift punch of his own to the other's jaw. Debilitas whined, stumbling back a few feet and holding his wounded jaw with both hands. He grumbled, obviously taken off guard by the force as well as being faced with a being who wasn't afraid to hit back. It was fight or flight, and the bigger man had chosen flight. Turning quickly, he left the room and ran out into the hallway, all while crying like a spoiled child who didn't get their way.

Italy quickly rushed over to the open door, slamming it shut before pressing his back to it and closing his eyes out of relief. He allowed himself to slide back down to the floor, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself from the moment. Opening them slowly, he spotted the German kneeling over in front of him worridly, a gesture that naturally brought a smile to the smaller man's face.

"You saved me," he breathed, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, "Th-thank you."

Germany shook his head, "Of course I did," he stated simply.

If it weren't for his friend, things would have turned out to be radically different. Who knows what that man would have done to him? It was frightening to think of, so he didn't dwell on the thought. Instead, he relished the presence of the German and the protective aura he brought.

The Italian reached a hand out for the other tiredly, but the relieved smile never left his face. He was just so overwhelemed and relieved that he had his friend there with him now.

He wouldn't ever be alone again.

"Come here," he barely whispered, sniffling a bit from the tears of happiness that were now falling down his cheeks. Ludwig complied, frown deeply set on his features as he seated himself beside the Italian, whom in return hooked their arms together and leaned on his shoulder while silent tears continued to fall.

They sat there for a moment, calming down and relaxing a bit. Italy took a brief nap, this he knew because in a seemingly blink of an eye, Germany was shaking him slightly with another worried expression.

"We can't stay here," he said softly but with a commanding tone, "I know you're tired, but we have to keep moving."

And he agreed wholeheartedly, "Sì, we have to find Romano."

They then stood, albeit a bit slowly, neither liking the idea of leaving the room and going out into the eerie castle. They knew nothing of the area, and so navigating their way would be a complete mystery to themー

"Oh wait!" Italy exclaimed, rummaging his pockets and pulling out the map he had found earlier. Germany was excellent with maps. "I found this in the kitchen cellar," he explain, handing the folded paper, "It's a map of the castle."

"This will prove to be quite useful. Good work, Italy."

The praise made him smile once more, glad that he had managed to do something right, "Grazie!"

Blue eyes scanned the map intently, almost as if they were memorizing the entire layout. It really wouldn't surprise the auburn haired male. Actually, he expected that to be the case. Ludwig was always very efficient like that, memorizing tactics and land maps with precision and dedication. After a moment, the blond discarded the paper with a sigh, and Feliciano knew that he had indeed memorized the entire map.

"So that really was the front gate," the German mumbled more to himself, causing the smaller man to tilt his head in curiosity.

"Front gate?" he repeated in question.

"Ja," the other nodded, turning to face the Italian with a stern and concentrated look, "There was a gate at the walkway one floor beneath us. Down that path there was a massive gate and what looked like to be the front entrance to the entire castle. My suspicions had just been confirmed, thanks to that map you supplied me with."

The news made him want to jump with joy. As soon as they found Lovino, all they had to do was walk out the front gate and out to freedom!

"Perfetto!" Feliciano cheered, hopping a bit while tugging at Ludwig's ripped sleeve, "Let's go find Fratello and blow this popsicle stand!"

The German nodded again, "I want us to investigate that front gate as well. I saw something that I couldn't quite reach."

The Italian just nodded. He would agree with anything his friend suggested, just as long as they would stay together. As long as the two of them stayed strong and within each other's presence, nothing could really hurt them. They would watch each other's backs and get through this together.

Italy knew things were going to be much better now.

"Alright, let's go."

With those final words spoken as permission, the German led the way back out the door, out into the darkness, and out into the unknown.


End file.
